Apparatus for packaging pourable commodities



May 1967 A. GRAFINGHOLT 3,318,067

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING POURABLE COMMODITIES Filed Nov. 15, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 7

y 6 A. GRAFINGHOLT 3,318,067

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING POURA BLE COMMODITIES Filed Nov. 15. 1963 3 she t$$h t 2 May 9, 1967 A. GRAFINGHOLT APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING POURABLE COMMODITIES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 15.

FIG. 5

United States Patent 3,318,067 APPARATUS FOR P CKAGING POURABLE COMMODITIES Alfred Griifingholt, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Germany, assignor to Fr. Hesser Maschinenfabrik-Aktiengesellschaft, Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt, Germany, a corporation of Germany Filed Nov. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 324,107 Claims priority, application Germany, Nov. 27, 1962, H 47,521 7 Claims. (Cl. 53-112) This invention relates to an apparatus for packaging pourable commodities, particularly those which are sensitive to atmospheric oxygen, as for example coffee, milk powder or the like, with the exclusion of air in a protective gas atmosphere.

It is known to charge coffee, after it has been roasted, into a container which can be airtightly closed, to draw from this container air which has penetrated therein, and to replace the latter by a protective gas. Connected to the container through a valve is an airtight supply hopper of a packaging machine in which a protective gas atmosphere is also present. This hopper opens into a hollow shaping mandrel around which a tube is continuously formed from a flexible packaging material. At the end of the shaping mandrel, each successive leading portion of the tube, which has been closed at its lower end and filled with a specified quantity of contents, is separated off from the remainder of the tube by a transverse seam, and at the same time an airtight transverse seam is applied to the lower end of the following parent tube. The commodity is charged each time into the leading and lower portion of the tube through the hollow mandrel by means of a feed screw which is arranged in the latter and is intermittently rotated.

In this known apparatus the exclusion of oxygen of the air from the material packaged involves considerable difficulty at the point where the fabricated tube is introduced to the end of the mandrel and the commodity is charged into the end of the tube.

It is an object of this invention to provide for safe and efl ective sealing of such a package.

It is a further object to associate with the shaping mandrel means whichresiliently apply the formed tube against the shaping mandrel in such a way .as not to interfere with the drawing forward of the tube over the mandrel. This will militate against the penetration of the ambient air into the tube of packaging material and allow for the production of packages which are completely free of oxygen and in which, therefore, commodities which are sensitive to atmospheric oxygen are guarded against deterioration.

Advantageously the aforesaid means for applying the tube of packagiug material resiliently against the periphery of the shaping mandrel comprise a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers which are held resiliently'pressed against the mandrel and which advantageously may also be driven in rhythm with the operative strokes of the apparatus to assist the feeding of the tube. It is also pos sible within this invention to use spring-pressed, pivota'ble plates as the aforesaid pressing means, or even compressed air which is directed through nozzles against the periphery of the shaping mandrel.

In the case where the aforesaid means comprise rollers, the shaping mandrel may have a plurality of fiat lateral surface portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel, and the rollers be arranged to make at least line contact with these flat portions forming a continuous chain airound the full periphery of the mandrel.

In accordance with another feature a vacuum contion, a pipe section is arranged in the mandrel for the ice purpose of feeding the filling commodity into the tube end, this section having a periodically-operated closure member arranged at the outlet opening of the pipe section for the purpose of providing a timed airtight closing of this opening.

In accordance with another feature of a vacuum conduit and a protective gas conduit lead into the shaping mandrel, these two conduits opening in the vinicity of the outlet opening of the said pipe section and each being controlled by a valve. As a consequence it is possible, during the production of a package, to establish first a vacuum therein and then a protective gas atmosphere, or merely to produce an air-evacuated package in which there is no protective gas.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of an apparatus conforming with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a side view of the apparatus seen in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of the shaping mandrel and associated parts of the mechanism.

FIGURE 4 is a view taken on the section line IV-IV of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a detail illustration of a modification in which press plates are used to hold the tube against the shaping mandrel, and

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate the use of press rollers for a like purpose.

In the main embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the packaging apparatus comprises a feed pipe 1 which may be closed at its lower end by a shutter 2. The pourable commodity which is fed into the apparatus through this tube 1 may already be in an atmosphere of protective gas. Airtightly connected to the pipe 1 through this shutter 2 is a charging hopper 3 which, at its lower end, opens into a pipe section 4 and in which an atmosphere of protective gas prevails when the apparatus is in operation. The pipe section 4 is surrounded by a shaping mandrel 5 which, in the example illustrated, is generally of rectangular cross section and comprises four side walls 6, 7, 8, 9 (FIGURE 4). The mandrel 5 is mounted by means of a support 10 on a frame 11 (see FIGURE 3) which supports the means for driving and controlling the apparatus.

In the arrangement now being described a tube is formed around the shaping mandrel 5, from two flexible webs of packaging material 12 and 12', the overlapped longitudinal margins of these sheets being welded together by heated sealing jaws 13. It is advanced by a pulldown mechanism such as that disclosed in Patent No. 3,031,902.

Arranged beneath the mandrel 5 are two oppositelymoving sealing jaws 15 for defining each bag package P at the leading end of the tube and for applying sealing seams to the package so defined and to the then-remaining leading end of the tube. These jaws are arranged in known fashion on a carriage 14 which moves up and down periodically. In addition, severing means of known form (not shown) are provided on the sealing jaws 15 to cut each successive bag package P, as it is formed, from the parent tube.

To prohibit the penetration of air into the lower part of the packaging tube or into the bag package P just in the process of formation, means are associated with the lower part of the shaping mandrel 5, where the tube of packaging material has already been made up, for resiliently applying the tube against the full periphery of the cross section of the shaping mandrel but in such a way that the pulling forward of the tube over the shaping mandrel 3 is not hindered.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 to 4, these means comprise four rollers 16, 17, 18, 19 which are rotatably mounted on rocking levers 2t 21, 22, 23 and are held resiliently applied in pairs against the associated side walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 respectively, of the shaping mandrel by means of tension springs 24, 25. Whilst the levers and 21 are pivotally mounted on a common carrier 26 secured to the frame 11, the two other levers 22 and 23 are pivotally mounted on individual stay bolts 27, 28 secured to frame 11 (FIGURES 3 and 4).

Instead of utilising pressing rollers 16-19 as described above, the arrangement illustrated in FIGURE 5 may be adopted in which use is made of resiliently applied plates. In this case plates 60, 61 are secured to spindles 62, 63 and are held by clamping screws 65 in pre-adjusted positions in the eyes of bearer arms 66, 67, through the agency of pins 64 disposed at the ends of the aforesaid spindles. These bearer arms are in turn fastened to the stay bolts 27, 28.

Where it is desired to use pressing rollers which also serve to feed the tube, use may be made of the arrangements illustrated in FIGURES 6 and 7 which has rollers 16, 17, 18, 19 driven periodically in timed relation with the other operations of the apparatus. In this case two rollers 16, 17, which are mounted with their shafts 84, 85 rotatably carried by pivotable levers 82, 83, biassed by springs 81, are driven in known fashion through free Wheel clutches 84, 85. These clutches 84, 85 comprise clutch parts 86, 87, clamping rollers 88, and toothed wheels 89, 90 of special form. The toothed wheels 89, 90 of the free-wheel clutches are rotated, through the agency of intermediate wheels 95, 96, by racks 91, 92 which are secured to the carriage 14 (reciprocable in timed relation with the operation of the apparatus) and are guided by jaws 93, 94. The inner members 86, 87 of the clutches are constructed so as to allow the clamping rollers 88 to transmit the rotary movement of the rollers 16, 17 only in the direction of the arrows in FIG- URE 6. The levers 82, 83 and the intermediate wheels 95, 96 are mounted on shafts 97, carried by bearer arms 98, 99, so as to be pivotable or rotatable. The bearer arms 98, 99 are secured to the machine frame 11 by means of the stay bolts 27, 28.

It will be understood that other means may be used to press the packaging tube to the shaping mandrel 5, particularly in the case of round or oval mandrel cross sections, for example using compressed air blown through nozzles against the tube.

In the example under description, the filling commodity is charged into the end of the tube by means of a screw 30 which is rotated intermittently inside the pipe section 4 (see FIGURE 3). This screw 38 is driven (see FIGURE 2) by an electric motor 31 through a clutch 32, bevel gearing 33, 34, and a vertical shaft 35. The clutch 32 and the bevel gearing 33, 34 are installed in a casing 36 which is air tightly connected to the feed hopper 3.

A closure cone 50, or even a pair of flaps, is provided at the lower end of this pipe section in order to prevent an after-dribble of the filler material (FIGURE 3). This closure cone 50 is seated on a transverse plate 51 attached to two vertical rods 52, 53. The cone 50 is held in its closed position, that is to say in a condition in which it is applied in sealing fashion against the lower rim of the pipe section 4, by springs 54, 55 which, on the one hand, bear against a guide piece 56 secured in the shaping mandrel 5 and, on the other hand, against collars 57 on the rods 52, 53. To open the lower end of the pipe section for each charging operation, the rods 52, 53, and thus the cone 50, are pushed downwards by means of a rockable forked lever 58, again in rhythm with the machine, against the action of springs 54, 55 whereby the cone 50 opens an annular gap at the lower rim of the pipe section for discharge of the material.

To enable a very pure protective gaseous atmosphere to be set up in the bag packages P, conduits 40 and 41 for such gas are connected into the upper end of the shaping mandrel 5 and the mouths of these conduits are disposed either in the upper part of the mandrel 5 or in a chamber 80 which is defined at the lower end of the filling pipe section 4 between the guide piece 56, the closure zone 50 and the end of the tube. Advantageously the introduction of the protective gas through these conduits is controlled, for example through the agency of magnetic valves 42, 43, which are so operated, again in rhythm with the operation of the machine, that the gas is admitted during the pulling down and filling of the end of the tube.

It is apparent that the packages can be given lesser sub-pressure by corresponding operation of the valves to control the amount of protective gas which is admitted to fill each package. There is an additional feed of protective gas to the feed hopper 3 through a gas conduit 49 and through a valve 48.

The packages P, severed from the parent tube, drop into a horizontal channel 45 disposed beneath the mandrel 5, and as a result the bottom of the package, including the transverse seam, is flattened. In the course of this action, the transverse seam in question enters a horizontal groove 46 at the bottom of the channel 45 and this groove is formed as a type of helical deflector, so that it will turn the bottom seam of the bag from the vertical into the horizontal plane as the latter is moved on. Since the seam is still warm from its sealing, it remains in this turned-over status.

The bag packages P are shifted in the transverse direction in the channel 45 by a pusher 47 which is mechanically or (see FIGURE 2) pneumatically or hydraulically operated and reciprocates in timed relation with the operative strokes of the machine. For this purpose a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder is arranged at the lower part of the machine frame 11, and this is supplied alternately at its two ends with motive fluid through pipe connections 101, 102 in timed relation with the machine operation to produce the reciprocating strokes of the pusher 47.

In addition, reference is made to the fact that the tools for forming the tube of packaging material may advantageously be such as to provide the tube, in known fashion, with four reinforced corners of ribbed appearance, doublethickness layers of the packaging material being sealed face to face at these parts, as described in Patent No. 3,031,902. Where a plurality of webs of packaging material are used, such ribs are already formed by the sealing together of the insides of the edges of the webs during the production of the longitudinal seam. Such ribs reinforce the corners of the bag package and strongly oppose the formation of porous areas which may result from mechanical stressing of the packaging material when the bags are handled and transported.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for packaging pourable commodities, comprising an airtight container with a bottom outlet, a hollow shaping and filling mandrel mounted below said container outlet, means for advancing packaging tubing along said mandrel, means below said mandrel for closing successive lengths of said packaging tubing and means for resiliently applying the packaging tubing against said mandrel around the periphery of the latter, the means for resiliently applying the packaging tubing against the mandrel comprising a plurality of rotatably mounted rollers and means which resiliently bias the rollers towards the mandrel.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, comprising pivotable levers and springs acting on the levers and in which the rollers are mounted on said pivotable levers.

3. Apparatus according to claim v2, in which the mandrel has a plurality of flat lateral surface portions extending in the longitudinal direction of the mandrel, and in which the rollers are arranged to make at least line contact with these fiat portions forming a continuous chain around the full periphery of the mandrel.

4. Apparatus for packaging pourable commodities, comprising an airtight container with a bottom outlet, 21 pipe section connected to and depending from said container, a hollow shaping and filling mandrel mounted below said container outlet, and surrounding said pipe section, a closure member at the lower discharge end of said pipe section, means for periodic operation of said closure member, means for advancing packaging tubing along said mandrel, means below said mandrel for closing successive lengths of the packaging tubing and means for resiliently applying the packaging tubing against said mandrel around the periphery of the latter.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4, in which the closure member is a sealing cone.

6. Apparatus for packaging pourable commodities comprising an airtight container with a bottom outlet, a pipe section connected to and depending from said container, a hollow shaping and filling mandrel mounted below said container outlet, and surrounding said pipe section, a closure member at the lower discharge end of said pipe section, valve-controlled gas and exhaust conduits opening into the interior of said mandrel, means below said mandrel for closing successive lengths of the packaging tubing and means for resiliently applying the packaging tubing against said mandrel around the periphery of the latter.

7. Apparatus for packaging pourable commodities, comprising an airtight container with a bottom outlet, a hollow shaping and filling mandrel mounted below said container outlet, means for advancing packaging tubing along said mandrel, means below said mandrel for closing successive lengths of the packaging tubing, means for resiliently applying the packaging tubing against said mandrel around the periphery of the latter, and a hori zontal channel arranged beneath the shaping mandrel and positioned to receive pack-ages separated from the tube, said channel having in the base thereof a groove which is formed as a deflector for turning over the bottom seam of the packages.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,432,373 12/ 194 7 Bleam et a1 53-22 2,931,150 4/ 1960 Ryan 53- 112 3,040,490 6/1962 Virta 53-22 TRAVIS S. MCGEHE'E, Primary Examiner. 

6. APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING POURABLE COMMODITIES COMPRISING AN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER WITH A BOTTOM OUTLET, A PIPE SECTION CONNECTED TO AND DEPENDING FROM SAID CONTAINER, A HOLLOW SHAPING AND FILLING MANDREL MOUNTED BELOW SAID CONTAINER OUTLET, AND SURROUNDING SAID PIPE SECTION, A CLOSURE MEMBER AT THE LOWER DISCHARGE END OF SAID PIPE SECTION, VALVE-CONTROLLED GAS AND EXHAUST CONDUITS OPENING INTO THE INTERIOR OF SAID MANDREL, MEANS BELOW SAID MANDREL FOR CLOSING SUCCESSIVE LENGTHS OF THE PACKAGING TUBING AND MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY APPLYING THE PACKAGING TUBING AGAINST SAID MANDREL AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE LATTER. 